Wilbraham voters enlisted to help fight hunger

Nicole Murdoch, left, and Margaret O'Donnell ran the food drive at the Wilbraham Middle School on election day.Photo by Staasi Heropoulos

WILBRAHAM - In the days leading up to the presidential election on Nov. 6, there seemed to be no shortage of issues.

While people were arguing about medical marijuana, doctor assisted suicide and other pressing concerns, one woman insisted that while hunger might not be on the ballot, it had to be on the public agenda.

"I live in a wonderful community, and I wondered if Wilbraham had a food insecurity problem. When I looked into it, I was really staggered by the numbers," said Nicole Murdoch.

Murdoch called the Community Survival Center in Springfield, a nonprofit agency that runs an emergency food pantry for people in Ludlow, Wilbraham and Hampden along with the Indian Orchard, Sixteen Acres and Pine Point neighborhoods of Springfield. Center officials told her they serve some 300 families each year from Wilbraham.

"I was not prepared to hear this so I thought, not only does my community need to know this, we need to do something about it. These are our neighbors who are working hard and just can't put food on the table," said Murdoch.

Murdoch became her own political machine, launching a grassroots campaign to make hunger a major issue on Election Day. She won the endorsement of the Wilbraham Junior Women's Club, securing their help to promote and run food collection stations at the town's two polling stations.

Steve Lewis, of Wilbraham, donates a bag of food before voting at the Wilbraham Middle School as food drive volunteer Margaret O'Donnell looks on.Photo by Staasi Heropoulos

Murdoch promoted the event, made and posted flyers around town, and created lots of buzz through word of mouth. She got permission from the town clerk to set up the food collection stations - and when it came time to vote, people brought their opinions, preferences, and hundreds of pounds of nonperishable food that filled several vans.

"We're very strong supporters of the survival center. They have some empty shelves and we can help fill them up," said Steve Lewis, who was among those who donated food.

The survival center served more than 10,000 people last year, 5 percent from Wilbraham. The tough economy has not only made it more difficult for families to put food on the table; donations are drying up because it's tough to be generous in a down economy.

"That's the Catch-22. At a time when need is increasing because more and more families are struggling, our donors are also trying to run households," said Holly Farrar, executive director of the Community Survival Center. "When the economic climate gets difficult, we really notice the difference because our donors are also feeling the pinch."

Murdoch's mission may have netted a bounty of food, but the boxes and cans won't last long on pantry shelves. With hunger near historic levels, the cupboards could be bare in no time.

"It's pretty much on our mind 24/7: How we can feed the people who need us? Whenever anybody does a food drive or shows up with a can of food or a bag of groceries, we are thrilled because that means it's food we didn't have a minute before," said Farrar.

If you'd like to help, you can contact the survival center at 240 Main St., Indian Orchard, MA 01151 or call (413) 543-3930.